Should I get an allotment?

[sez]

Can some of you lovely people please share the pros and cones of allotments. I've been growing in my backyard for a couple of years now and im starting to think about a lottie.

So far I've come up with:

Pros:
so much sppppaaaace for veggies, obviously
excercise (i need to lose weight)
a hobby that doesnt involve computers
community/friends - i'm newish to the area and don't really know anyone. but i'm also only 24 and female so depends on the type of people at the lottie


Cons:
accessibility - should be getting license/car very soon but atm I'm stuck on buses
work involved in (probable) weed clearance - as above, I'm very very unfit

...

come on people, talk me into/out of it

[Seahorse]

YES!

On a more considered note though, have a look round at your local sites first. I'm a single lady and generally at the plot either alone or with small children. There are a couple of sites round here that I really wouldn't have felt comfortable on, due to their isolation. Where I got my plot though is a lovely, large, open site and I've never yet been there completely alone, even in the depths of winter. I've found almost everyone friendly. There are a few people who clearly just want to get on rather than chat (which is fine!) but lots of folk have been happy to offer encouragement.

I don't drive and it can be a pain but with a rucksack, a pushchair and a shopping trolley (yes, all at the same time!) you can move a fair bit about. Some DIY and garden centres will deliver to lotties as well, if you needed anything really bulky.

You don't need to go mad with clearing weeds either. Just do a little and often and things will be fine.

Do let us know what you decide!

[The Germinator]

I only got my allotment a few months ago which was over grown but its been fun trying to clear it (just a little at a time). Ive only got a very small yard so needed to get a lottie. People ive met so far are great and willing to help anyway possible.

Just one con I can think of is vandilism and theft. Before choosing a plot talk to other holders about it and see what its like. You dont want your hard work getting wrecked and everything nicked.

[Tigerella]

Hi

You havnt got very many in the plus side!

Grow your own food is better for you, and the environment.
But if you are not a eco warrior, this does not matter.

If your lottie is not very close by, it is alot more work.

FG

[sez]

Tigerella - i full admit to being a tree hugging vegetarian recycling hippy

[muckdiva]

Yes, go for it Sez.
I took one on last April, and only managed to plant a little of it up in the Spring. Then due to lack of time, the rest of it looked a mess for most of the summer, though we managed to mow about half of the area and cover a good bit with cardboard and straw mulch.

This Winter has been an advantage for me, as there's been time to dig over and deal with bindweed etc ready for this season, and lay some permanent paths, so it should all be easier this year.

My advice is, try and get an allotment as near to your home as possible, pace yourself - plan to cultivate only 1/4 or 1/2 the first year, and enjoy!

[Tigerella]

Tigerella - i full admit to being a tree hugging vegetarian recycling hippy

Hi

That is my reason for getting my lottie, about one year ago.
I did have gardening tendancies before, but the eco bit pushed me over the edge.
Next will come the hens, now that will be a commitment.

T

[bubblewrap]

Hi Sez this site could be useful maybe there is a lottie site close to you?
North Lincolnshire Council - Allotments

[thyme]

Hi I'm waiting for my first allotment and I am partly motivated by the thought of cooking with good healthy veg. that is without doubt local. I hate it when you get home from the supermarket and find the veg. has been imported when it is in season here. I think what I spend on plants & seeds etc. will be less than I spend on my fruit and vegatables. Health - better then paying to go to the gym and in the fresh air. I'm trying not to think about the negative side at the moment.

[Snadger]

Fresh air, seclusion and being at one with nature............and just now and again, and if you're very lucky, you may be able to dig a few worthwhile veg for your Sunday dinner!

[Norm]

Yo Sez, I wouldn't worry too much about being a young female on a lottie, the majority of the holders will be middle-aged and older blokes who will only be anxious to offer advice on growing food and flowers. The chances are the only admiring glances you get will be if you can grow better veg than them!
As for safety, at the end of a long day tending your plot, most gardeners are too tired to bother about anything other than a hot bath and putting their feet up - unless you have the ability to turn into this months copy of GYO and a mug of cocoa....
There are 4 ladies who have plots at our lottie, so you'll probably find there are some at any lottie you get a garden at.
The pros are
Fresh air, healthy exercise, fresh food and flowers, meeting new friends etc, etc, etc.
The cons are
erm.....................
Go for it, you'll love every second!

[Potter]

Definately go for it!

I've had my plot since July and for me there is just NOTHING like the times when I stop digging for a moment, look up at what I've achieved and all I can hear are birds (and lorries reversing in my case, though bizzarely this noise has become part of being at my lottie). Pure bliss!

As for starting from scratch, my feelings of well being began when I finished digging over my very first bed! You feel proud of every little bit of progress you make!

[carlseawolf]

hi sez and welcome to the vine ,

pros ; eat well , good exercise , meet new people

con,s ; To get fit at this the bad backs and brusies come first ( no gain without pain )
And some people my think your old before your time and fall asleep when you start going on about what you did today.
And your house and garden if your not careful starts looking like the goodlife's house.

p.s i was born in scunthorpe and lived in messingham

[hypnophil]

Hi Sez
I think you should go for it, you can always give it up, but i doubt you would once you get a taste of it ( and your produce). I got mine in august and just cleared a bed at a time and planted as i went, it's a great feeling even if you clear just one bed and get something growing, such a motivation!!
If you dont manage to get your license by the time you get your plot you could always cycle, and lose more weight and get fitter!!! and anything large you wanted up there you could tempt a driving mate with some free homegrown produce in return.
I planted courgette and beans and was amazed how much i harvested even so late in the year.
If you are going on a council waiting list ( like i did for a long time ) try to ask around for private plots too, i managed to get mine within four days of asking a friend at work who asked her husband who asked the plot manager!!!!
Beats the waiting list, LOL! a lot of plots need to keep the numbers up so they cant be taken over by developers, mine has the most fantastic view of torbay!

[jeannine]

Go for it Sez - you may well find it's the best decision you ever made! Potter's post brought tears to my eyes - it's so true that there's nothing like that feeling of being on the lottie, knowing you've got stuff growing in the ground and seeing all the wildlife.

If your plot isn't nearby and you have to cycle or get the bus, make a point of putting a shed up as one of your first priorities - you can get 6x4 ones on the Wilkinsons website for £140, or you might get a free one on freecycle - or if there's already one on a plot you're offered then you're laughing!

The joy of a shed is that you can put your tools and a comfy chair in it and then if you take a lovely packed lunch and a flask of tea you can make a day of it on your lottie - and you've got somewhere to go even if there's a shower of rain.

It's also handy of there's no toilet on your site 'cos you can do a wee in a bucket in the privacy of your shed! (Trust me, these practical details can make all the difference!)

Re weed clearing, as people have already very wisely said, just take it slowly, or see if you can get some friends to help out at first. As hypnophil says, once you've got one bed ready, and planted up, it really gives you the inspiration to carry on.

You can cover the rest of the site with a tarp or some weed-supressing fabric (which is cheap at Aldi at the mo) and hold it down with compost bags that you've filled with earth on site. (You can take a few empty compost bags there in a carrier bag on the bus).

Best of luck with it and let us know how you get on!